1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to the field of gardening implements and equipment and more particularly relates to improvements to frames for supporting living plants.
2. State of the Prior Art
It is known in the gardening and ornamental plant trade to assemble a living plant wreath by filling a frame of wire or like material with soil, and wrapping the soil filled frame with moss into which holes can be punched for planting seedlings or plant cuttings. The resulting assembly can be hung from a ceiling or a vertical surface such as a wall or a door as a decorative wreath and many attractive living plant and flower arrangements can be maintained on such a base for relatively long periods of time ranging up to several years. A typical living wreath assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,692 ("Colbert") issued to the inventor named in this application.
Typical frames known to the art and used by this applicant consist either of two ring shaped half-frames joined together by wire loops as described in Colbert, or one piece frames such as is disclosed and claimed in Colbert or similar that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,890 to Bloch ("Bloch"), issued Aug. 28, 1962. These one piece frames have a pair of concentric intermediate rings and either a single upper and lower ring or a pair of upper and lower rings. When assembled into a frame the rings inhabit three parallel planes: the upper ring or rings occupy an upper plane, the intermediate rings occupy a second intermediate plane, and the lower ring or rings occupy the third, lower plane.
Another typical frame known in the art has only three generally concentric rings that are situated in two parallel planes. These rings are oriented such that two of the rings are coplanar and a single ring occupies a parallel plane above the coplanar rings.
The use of circular ribs or square ribs to interconnect the rings is also known. Applicant sold a one piece frame having circular ribs more than one year before this application,. and square ribs are disclosed in Bloch.
Colbert also discloses candle holders spaced circumferentially around the interior of the frame. These candle holders are made of coiled wire with two ends that are attached to the interior upper and lower rings of the frame, respectively. Attachment to the lower ring required an extended wire segment. Colbert discloses that the candle holders impart additional structural rigidity and integrity to the frame as well as acting as support for candles. It was found that the candle holders disclosed in Colbert did not adequately support the candle, however, with the result that the candle tilted or wobbled when placed therein. Applicant attempted to solve this problem by 1) eliminating the extended wire segment and attaching the candle holder ends to the interior intermediate ring and interior upper ring, and 2) increasing the support for the candle by increasing the number of coiled segments in the candle holder wire. Frames having these adjustments to the candle holders were publicly offered for sale by applicant more than one year before the date of this application.
Colbert also discloses that it is desirable to keep the candle holder elements hidden from view beneath the plant cuttings on the planted wreath. However, applicant's idea to increase the number of coiled segments to solve the candle support problem had the adverse consequence that the coiled segments became visible on the wreath. The present invention solves the candle holder visibility problem while maintaining adequate structural support for the candle. Additionally, the frame of the present invention provides aesthetic advantages over the interior placement of the prior art candle holders.
Also known to the art as disclosed in Colbert is the need for providing circulation of air around and underneath the wreath for aeration of the plants and soil. The prior art discloses the use of a toroidal half-frame to support the wreath and provide for aeration. Placing the wreath on a perforated baked enamel table for aeration was also suggested. Aside from being a somewhat cumbersome accompanying piece requiring additional set up time whenever the wreath was placed on a surface, the prior art half-frame presented problems because it would frequently be jarred loose and fall to the ground when the wreath was hung vertically, particularly when the wreath was hung on a door. The present invention eliminates the need for an additional half-frame or special table and ensures adequate aeration whether the wreath is placed on a horizontal or vertical surface.
For these and other reasons of convenience, simplicity and economy, it was found desirable to provide improvements to frames for supporting living plants which would eliminate these and other difficulties of the previously used design.